At the national level, the midterm elections are all the talk in political circles right now, with Election Day less than two months away. But here in Chicago, it’s the 2027 mayoral election that people can’t stop talking about.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected to announce a reelection campaign as soon as this weekend. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is running for reelection to state office, also is campaigning for mayor, having raised $22 million for the race.

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza is running, too — though unlike Giannoulias, she had the good grace not to seek reelection to state office at the same time. Nine are in the race at this point, including familiar faces U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and perennial candidate and business owner Willie Wilson.

Why must Illinoisans go to the polls in November, to elect federal and statewide officeholders, then vote again for their mayors and other city officeholders a mere three months later?

Well, it doesn’t need to be this way.

There were valid reasons to do it this way more than a century ago, in the Progressive era. The reasoning then for Illinois and other states to separate municipal elections was so voters could zero in on the local issues that affect them most directly: for example, city budgets, public safety, schools and property taxes. In the days of paper ballots and hand-counting, it helped local election boards........

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